The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by

Mark Twain

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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Tom wakes before the others. He makes predictions about what is going to happen in the future based on the various behaviors of the bugs and animals he observes around him.
Tom reassures himself through his superstitions when the untamed wilderness might otherwise scare him.
Themes
Superstition, Fantasy, and Escape Theme Icon
Joe and Huck wake, feeling wonderful. No one cares that the raft has drifted away.
Rather than see themselves as stranded, the boys re-envision their situation through their imaginations, deciding they have heroically escaped.
Themes
Superstition, Fantasy, and Escape Theme Icon
They fish for breakfast and continue to explore the island. Pangs of homesickness set in as the day wears on. Even Huck misses the village.
Because the boys aren't real homicidal outlaws like Injun Joe, they can't help but feel an attachment to the society they've left. Huck's longing to be back in St. Petersburg suggest that attachment to a community is natural, and that there is no real escape from it.
Themes
Boyhood Rebellion and Growing Up Theme Icon
Superstition, Fantasy, and Escape Theme Icon
Hearing cannons, they run to the river to see the ferry and boats traveling by, searching. They realize that the people of the town think that they have drowned and are searching the river for their bodies. They are excited and delighted to be so missed.
The boys' excitement about the attention their disappearance is receiving shows their selfish childishness but also how much they care about how much their society, the village, cares about them..
Themes
Boyhood Rebellion and Growing Up Theme Icon
Showing Off Theme Icon
Sentimentality and Realism Theme Icon
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Once the others are asleep, Tom gathers up some of his treasures and sets out for the river.
In setting out alone in the unknown darkness, Tom naively believes his good luck charms will protect him.
Themes
Superstition, Fantasy, and Escape Theme Icon